PTI kicks off long march from Lakki Marwat

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has launched the first phase of its long march in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, beginning from Lakki Marwat as political tensions remain high between the party and the federal government.

The march began on Sunday amid the failure of recent negotiations between the government and opposition. PTI had originally planned the march for September 27 but later postponed it to October 4.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi arrived in Lakki Marwat to lead the first phase. Party workers and supporters gathered in large numbers as caravans from different districts prepared to join the procession.

According to the schedule announced by Afridi, participants from Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat will assemble at Gandi Chowk before moving towards Karak, where they are expected to spend the night.

The march will continue on Monday, October 5, with participants from Karak joining the caravan. The procession will then move towards Kohat.

On October 6, caravans from Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai are scheduled to join. The participants will then travel towards Peshawar and stay near Matni.

The following day, the caravan will leave Budh Bair in Peshawar. Participants from Khyber district and other areas of Peshawar are expected to join the procession along the route. The march will then move towards the Charsadda interchange.

On October 8, the caravan is scheduled to depart from the Charsadda interchange, with participants from Charsadda and Mohmand joining along the way.

Afridi has said people from across KP will gather at Khairabad on October 8. The next phase of the long march is expected to be announced there.

So far, PTI has not announced a fresh schedule for a march towards Islamabad.

The development comes after two rounds of negotiations between the federal government and opposition failed to produce an agreement. The talks were held to resolve differences over PTI’s planned protest and wider political and security issues.

The government had wanted PTI to cancel the long march, while the opposition sought assurances on several issues, including a meeting with jailed PTI founder Imran Khan.

The negotiations continued for hours but ended without a breakthrough, leaving both sides firmly divided.

The launch of the first phase has now added to uncertainty over the next stage of PTI’s protest movement, particularly as the federal government has warned that any attempt to create unrest or violate legal restrictions will be dealt with according to the law.